Frankie Kazarian Opens Up About His Time In WWE & TNA, His Growth In The Business, ROH, The Addiction & More

One half of Ring of Honor’s The Addiction, Frankie Kazarian recently took some time to participate in an exclusive interview with PWMania.com. Kazarian reveals his past, his present and his future in professional wrestling. He opens up about his time with TNA, training under the legendary Killer Kowalski and his thoughts about working alongside Ric Flair and how to always appreciate what you have. Check out the complete interview below:

A number of wrestlers have been trained by the legendary Killer Kowalski. What can you say his teaching and growth taught you about the business when you first were getting into it?

That’ fundamentals were more important then anything else above all. There was a real respect in the business taught from day one. Like a lot of schools used to be you weren’t even aloud in the ring until you learned the fundamentals until you learned holds, all the holds. I was told and I don’t know if this was true or not that I was the first guy ever aloud to get into the ring on the first day but I don’t know if that was folklore or what. I came from California and guys that said usually we never see guys get into the ring the first day. Respect of the business and it was still really kayfabe and it was really speak when spoken too and it was learn what I’m going to teach you and learn at my pace. I thank God for it every day because I wouldn’t be where I am today if I was trained anywhere else.

Prior to coming to TNA, you worked the independent circuit. Describe your experiences there and how that helped you develop.

Everything was a learning experience. The early days of my career was different. Going to a different state say going to a different state say from California to New Jersey and Philly to wrestle was like going to a different territory back in the days of the territories there was a new crop of guys and new fans and new eyeballs on me, new experiences so it was really cool picking up from California, Arizona on to Philly and New York, New Jersey and Pittsburgh and then down to the Carolina and stuff like that. It was picking something from every wrestler and every area I worked in and putting it all into the repertoire and it was a cool learning experience. Just getting to do that and travel around the country and learn different things. Which a lot of people unfortunately don’t get to do anymore.

It’s been reported that you initially came to TNA through Jeff Jarrett and Scott D’Amore. In its initial growth what had you forseen for TNA at the time of first joining the promotion?

I didn’t know. I just saw it as another opportunity. I came down there for a tryout in the Summer of 2003 and had my tryout match and they brought me back next week and they brought me back the week after that. So I said I guess I’m hired and I didn’t know what to expect everyone back then was saying it could have lasted and everyone back then was basically proclaiming TNA’s death from day 1 and they’re still doing it today so they’re still around. I knew it was a great group of guys a very very talented group of guys and I knew the x division was something that was new and different and something I was happy to be a part of and with the roster we had I thought there was a potential for a lot of really really good growth.

Kaz has endured a great deal of reinvention during his time in TNA. At one time you competed under the Suicide character. How did that come about? Was there a long term plan for that? How did you feel competing under a mask?

That’s a lie. That’s only the internet. Suicide was played by Samoa Joe and Angelina Love not me. Fans probably started that rumor. Where do any of these rumors start? That’s a terrible terrible rumor. It would have been career suicide if I were to have done that.

Being in TNA allowed you the opportunity to be a part of a few factions and work with some incredible talent. Could you share those experiences and which factions you felt could have achieved more and which were gladly cut short?

The Serotonin thing was looking back was really good for me but looking back I didn’t appreciate it. To learn underneath Raven was something I probably took for granted but I did learn a lot from him and it was a way for me to reinvent myself because it was a matter at the time of me being just admittedly a good wrestler and I didn’t necessarily have the personality or at least I hadn’t been given the opportunity to express my personality and doing that and putting us under his (Raven’s) wing was something that was good at the time and allowed me to break free from the other guys in the group and eventually go and do my own thing. Raven’s a guy that has an incredible mind for the business so I was able to absorb as much as I could. I changed my look and tried to become comfortable with that and something that was out of my sight. Looking back, I appreciate it more than I did when I was doing it and I think that comes with just maturity as a human being. With Fortune, with AJ and Bobby and later on Chris were my friends and being in a stable with guys like that it was natural. A lot of the backstage stuff we did was us just being natural and working with Ric Flair what can you say? He was great! He was great to me. He always offered a friendly advice. He was always complimentary and was up for anything that we would come up with it was lovely to work with him. Not many people can say they’ve been in the ring with him and been in a faction with him. A second coming of the Horsemen, third of fourth whatever you want to call it. It was fun for me and another step forward to allow me to come out of my shell from a personality stand point.

In 2005, you joined the WWE for a brief period of time. How would you describe your experience and what are your thoughts on those auditioning for the current Tough Enough program?

My time in the WWE was less than a year and all that had to do with me. I didn’t mature enough as a wrestler or a man to be there. It was the first time that wrestling became a business and not something I loved because I saw the business side of it. Now I realize that what it is and not then. I was like wow, the WWE is a giant machine that is the biggest company in the world and always will be. I just wasn’t ready to be there on a mental level personally or professionally. As for Tough Enough, part of it pains me to see guys coming on and cutting their promos and saying I love this business and I would do anything to be in this business – then why haven’t you done that yet? It always kind of bugs me to see that. There are a lot of us that took the road and did the Indies and went to Japan and Mexico and busted our ass just for a chance to get looked at somewhere and all of a sudden a game show comes along where people can submit their tapes. I’m not going to fault anyone for getting a spot the way they get a spot. If you love this business and your willing to work hard then more power to you. At the end day though it’s a show, and they want to gather numbers or ratings for the network so its entertainment. You have to take it with a grain of salt. People coming in and saying they love this business and they have no idea what this business is going to do to them so. But if it works and the numbers are good enough for the network that’s great. I’m happy for anything that enhances pro wrestling as a whole.

Since the end of your time with TNA to present day one wrestler has been synonymous with you. How can you say the professional relationship and personal friendship between yourself and Christopher Daniels has evolved?

Our relationship is strictly professional, I hate his guts on a personal level. Nah, he’s my best friend and I’ve known him 17 years since I started in this business. We’ve been travelling together for the last 13 (years). So literally every weekend. Him, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and myself. It’s just a natural chemistry. I would liken it something like Nick and Matt Jackson, who are brothers. We just know what the other guy is thinking with just a look. On the road it’s easy, we know each other’s schedules so well. It just makes everything easy. We both take a lot of pride in being tag team wrestlers. We both love being tag team wrestlers. We’ve found our niche as The Act or Bad Influence or The Addiction. Just the act, I think has gotten so over that fans love seeing us wherever we are, as The Act. Of course they loved Christopher Daniels “The Fallen Angel” but I think as the act has given new life to both of our careers. Having him as a partner makes my life a lot easier, in the ring. On the road, that’s another story all together.

As part of ROH, you had already earned credentials. What has having achieved prior success meant as you face younger talent within the promotion?

It’s great. I mean being here has made us, me especially raise my game because there are a lot of guys that you are only hearing about, reading about and watching that are getting a lot of notoriety. Guys like Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly, Adam Cole and Michael Bennett and Matt Taven. Guys that I have just kind of seen from afar. Now I’ve been in the ring with all of them and seen what they are all about because they are all the real deal. It’s an incredible roster of young guys and mixed with a lot of veterans and it’s been awesome. It’s been really fun just to reinvent ourselves again and raise our game have these hard hitting and competitive matches, it’s one of the reasons why I love this company.

As part of the The Addiction it has recently revealed that the team was in fact the KRD and thus capturing the ROH world tag team titles. How did that decision come about? Were you pleased with the choice of the direction for the Addiction now? Are you pleased with the direction of the group?

Yeah, absolutely. It came about because we’re the smartest guys in the room. It came about because we wanted to present a new way and fresh take on things instead of just winning belts in a match and present a story to go along with it. Being the smartest guys in the room it’s what we did. I’m very happy with how it came about now especially since were representing the company as its champions.

While wrestling a major part of your life, it isn’t your whole wife. A father and a husband how has having your wife part of the business and how has that changed over your career both personally and professionally? Would Tracy ever entertain the idea of competing or being involved in the business again?

It’s great having somebody that has been there and done that. That knows what I’m going through. Being a wrestler’s wife is probably the hardest thing to do on this planet. I can’t imagine regular quote unquote women having to endure and put up with what we put them through but being somebody that did a lot in the business she understands what I go through. So it makes my job a lot easier and she’s very knowledgeable in terms of if I need to talk to somebody about something she’s there it makes my life a lot easier it probably makes her life miserable, so I’m sorry. I don’t she’d entertain the idea of coming back. She probably did more in this business than she ever thought she’d do. She had a very very successful career just being a farm girl from St. Mary’s, Ontario. She achieved a lot and she still has friends in the business. Her days in the ring are probably done but who knows if she might pop up on an appearance here or there. She has no regrets she has her career and she will always love the business but there is a time when you move on. She’s happy with that. She’s just happy to ride off into the sunset.

What does the future hold for Frankie Kazarian? As a tag team or possibly singles competitor?

If that (single’s run) comes about I’ll certainty stride forward with that. There really no need to look beyond the tag team direction on that because that’s our focus because we’re tag team champions defending the belts all around the world. We’re having a great time and we really haven’t scratched the surface on what we can do as a team. So until that act isn’t presented as fun or entertaining anymore we going to keep doing it. And I don’t see that happening for a very long time.

Was there anything you’d like to promote or encourage fans to look out for and listen?

My twitter is @FrankieKazarian, my band which is @VexTemper which just recorded entrance music “Get addicted”. So you can check it out were going to be adding stuff to our sound cloud page coming up very soon so if your into music, rock n’roll/heavy metal give us a follow. The first music you’ll hear from us is our entrance music, “I’ll get addicted” I play bass in the band. Everything is brand new. We’re going to put some original songs up at our site vextempermusic.com. I wrote the melody and the riff and my band did it. Other than that, keep following keep watching wrestling. Whatever wrestling it is, just keep watching.

I’m so glad there are guys like Kaz (and Daniels) around that want to do tag team wrestling. These guys are one of (if not) the best tag teams in the world today. No current tag team in WWE (and possibly only the Hardy Bros or Dirty Heels) can come close to these two guys.

These guys are just fun to watch in and out of the ring.

The Mike (a.k.a Mikael)

Cesaro and Kidd are awesome too. You can’t forget them

Justin Cissom

Just my opinion, but WWE missed the boat on the tandem of Cesaro and Heyman. That could have played off oh so well in some kind of back-stab from Heyman to either Cesaro or Lesnar.

The Mike (a.k.a Mikael)

Cesaro is a tag team specialist,as is Kidd. That’s why they fit so well together. Cesaro’s best work on the indies wasn’t as a singles wrestler,it was as a tag wrestler with Chris Hero.

Justin Cissom

I personally think Cesaro can be successful as a singles wrestler. Bare in mind that I haven’t seen a lot of his tag work, but in-ring talent wise, I would put him over the 3 guys WWE is giving us right now (and in the near future)… Rollins, Reigns, and Ambrose.

The Mike (a.k.a Mikael)

He isn’t the most charismatic guy. That’s the only thing holding him back from greatness as a singles wrestler

Justin Cissom

That’s why you put Heyman with him. Have Heyman cross Lesnar and team with Cesaro for the long run (hopefully Cesaro is taking advantage of being with Paul E. and improving his mic skills), because Brock in a sense doesn’t need Heyman. Don’t get me wrong, I love Heyman with Brock, but Brock is that guy that can come in destroy, not say a word, and he will get over.